Why Now Is the Perfect Time to Write and Self-Publish a Book

If you’ve ever loved reading or writing, you’ve probably thought about writing and publishing your own book. But for most people, the prospect of writing and self-publishing an entire book is intimidating, so they never go through the steps of drafting, revising, and distributing their book on the market.

If you need some extra motivation to get started, you should realize that now may be the perfect time to write and self-publish your own book. But why is this the case?

Availability (and Inexpensiveness) of Printers

To start, finding an inexpensive, reliable book printer is no longer difficult. Even a decade ago, if you wanted to publish your own book, you would have to sort through dozens of different online publishers, and even then, there’s no guarantee you would find a publisher who offers all the options you want at an affordable price.

These days, competition in the publishing market is booming. No matter what type of book you’re writing or how you want it to be printed, you can find a book publisher who can get you what you need, even if you’re working with a tight budget. Self-publishing is cheaper and more accessible than ever before.

Easy Self-Publishing Tools and Platforms

There’s also an abundance of self-publishing tools and platforms that make it easy for you to distribute your work. You can use online tools to register your book and online templates to make sure it looks professional. You can use online platforms to list your book for sale and make it available to a wide range of people. Despite still being called self-publishing, you don’t have to do this alone; there are countless services online that make it easier and more accessible for you.

Niche Audiences

Self-publishing is also booming because of the availability of niche audiences. Now more than ever, people have a tendency to self-segregate online, engaging only with people who share similar viewpoints and interests. If you write a book specifically for one of these niche audiences, you can practically eliminate the possibility of competition and appeal specifically to these passionate groups of people.

If you do enough market research, and you’re capable of writing for a specific target audience, you can take advantage of this. You might be the first book on the market covering your chosen topic or covering it in this specific way; and even if you end up with a handful of competitors, you’ll still have the potential to generate a loyal following.

The Book Boom

Though it’s now starting to fade slightly, book sales experienced a massive boom in 2020 and 2021. As the COVID-19 pandemic reached its peak, people had more free time and more alone time, so they used books to help fill the void. After years of declining book sales, there has finally been a renaissance of interest in this medium. And even though momentum has slightly declined, there’s still time for you to ride this wave.

Free and Cheap Marketing Opportunities

Self-published authors also benefit from a large number of cheap and free marketing opportunities available online. Even if you’ve never published a book before, and even if you have no readers in your following, you can tap into these simple strategies to build from the ground up:

•       Guest authorship. Through guest authorship, you’ll have the opportunity to write articles for a variety of external publishers. It’s a great way to generate new readers, attract new traffic to your website, and build visibility and recognition of your name.
•       Social media marketing. Posting on social media is free, yet it could potentially expose you to millions of new people. And if you find you need even more reach later on, you can always invest in paid advertising on this platform.
•       Search engine optimization (SEO). Search engine optimization (SEO) is another common choice for marketing yourself as a self-published author. With a combination of strategies, including onsite keyword optimization and link building, you can make every page of your website more likely to rank highly for relevant keyword searches.
•       Email marketing. You should also consider using email marketing, since it’s one of the most cost-effective marketing strategies around. You can get started for free and design your first email newsletter in under an hour.

Getting Started

Now that you’re familiar with all the advantages of self-publishing in the modern era, all that’s left is to start your draft. Writing a book is tough, and editing and revising it is even tougher, but if you’re committed to creating an impressive finished product, you can continue working on it step by step. 

Start with an outline and commit to writing a set amount each day, such as two pages or 2,000 words.